


Chaos & Dischaos

by Anonymous



Category: Paranatural (Webcomic)
Genre: M/M, Mind Games
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-19
Updated: 2017-08-19
Packaged: 2018-12-07 15:54:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11626863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: Monday saw the institution of The Buddy System.





	Chaos & Dischaos

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Puimoo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Puimoo/gifts).



Monday saw the institution of The Buddy System.

There had been a lot of debate in the Student Council (Autumn Sub-Curious Three-Ring Level) about the best time to do so. It was one of those things where everyone wanted a say, simply to feel that they had made their voices heard as the major decisions rained down over them. In the end, it was difficult to say whose voices prevailed - if any of their voices had ultimately had an impact or if the course of the project had been set before their involvement was required.

The news was met with shock - gasps from slack mouths, and creaking and shuffling as people sharply changed posture. And with muttering.

"Is this true? Would a simple mandate from perfectly sane and not at all weird school council truly harness the incredible power of friendship? I must protest these institutional falsehoods and declare myself against this system. Down with all systems, in the name of almost preteen rebellion, of course, but this on in particular."

Cody had known _that_ was going to be a problem - Max would never take something like this lying down. Okay, except for how he was kind of lying down, having slumped forwards very slowly as he spoke until his face was resting on his desk. Was his spirit broken already? ... No, that was not a conclusion to reach lightly.

 _"Are there no other possible buddy systems in this varied and amazing world? Hence that portentous 'The'?_ " he continued as the Vice Principal spoke over him.

"Choice has been taken from your incapable, tiny hands, children," she said. "Your buddies have been assigned by impartial lottery with no witnesses, much like a secret ballot. On your desks you will see that you have envelopes - the name of your newly assigned buddy is contained within it." Her aura ... this morning, she was satisfied. It couldn't be helped. "You will be partnered with them for the next week."

Envelopes were torn open; names were sighed over, cursed unto the seventh generation, and accepted--all of them. Attempted rejections would not be allowed.

"How can I be buddies with Isaac?" Max said, and then looked awkward. "In the Buddy System sense that is completely unlike being actual buddies! He's in a different year than me, never mind class!"

No matter how reasonable.

"What do you MEAN, I'm s'posed to hang with not-my-besties?" Johnny demanded, climbing on top of his desk in passionate fury. "My boys and enbies Ollie and Stephen and RJ can be trio style buddies, and I gotta roll with Guerra? She's respectably bad-ass, but unacceptably ... respectable!"

No matter how tragic.

"I'M BUDDYING ... **A LOCAL BUSINESS OWNER**?" There was something nuclear about the light in Suzy's eyes.

No matter how ... hold on. Okay, who authorised that. Just, honestly - what kind of clown?

Oh, no! This meant there was yet another hidden agenda involved here - the Student Council wouldn't dare mess up the school's relationship with ... a local business owner. And the ... school funding provided by said relationship.

Cody could only do so much. He could tell that no one here expected anything real from him; they didn't look to him in appeal, even the ones most dissatisfied with their assigned Buddies. They might not know him as a Derelict Member, kicked to a low rung of the Council and allowed almost no information even as he was depended on as a force to keep the rules in place; the terminology got a little lost on anybody who hadn't ever had the 474-page SC Handbook (semi-demi-redacted version) to hand. They did know he couldn't do much to effect change.

He took a steadying breath, opened his envelope, and took out the slip to read the name. Cody smiled.

*

"I don't think I knew your full name before!" Cody told his buddy, _Dimitri Danger_. "You should make Suzy give you bylines."

"You'd think she'd appreciate the drama it evokes, right? Nah, she just gets way too into writing everything herself."

They walked around the playing fields, not doing anything in particular. The Buddy System was as yet not well-defined; keeping the rules about it secret no doubt struck someone as a good way to turn it to an advantage later. It was an okay time - they didn't know each other well, Lisa's group being anathema to Suzy, and Suzy being ... interesting to get along with, for ... everyone except the Newspaper Club. (And even then, Colin kept talking about his future ulcers like some people talked about baby names they liked.) It was fun getting to know each other, though.

When break was nearly over, they'd reached the school entrance. There weren't that many kids around - most people used the back entrance during the school day.

"I know it's you," Dimitri said. He walked with a steady gait, talking into the air a little like someone who was thinking things over, hands in his pockets. "This is _all_ you. After spending about five minutes with you I was seriously not sure it could be more obvious."

That could mean any number of things. That he had weird theories about one of any number of mysteries about the school and thought it could be pinned on the nearest member of the Student Council, that Cody was in fact secretly a living puppet controlled by Lisa and had taken something blackmailable from him, that maybe Cody had lured away the cute kid who levitates. "You're sounding, uh, kind of paranoid there?" Cody said with a laugh, hoping he didn't offend. "I'm not sure what you're referring to! I'm not so sure I like being accused of stuff at random, either."

"Not accused, identified," Dimitri shot back coolly, but then said, "Uh. Via educated guess, I admit." The little smile he gave then was still in the 'cool' range, but ... Cody now felt like giving him a chance.

"I'm not devious! There is a lot of deviousness around here, I know. Secrets and plans and..." He sighed. "I'm not trying to manipulate you, or anything."

"No, you seem to be thinking bigger. So how are you going to keep it from getting out that The Buddy System was your idea?" Dimitri asked.

"I'm not sure what you mean!" Cody told him, jumping a puddle left on the concrete by recent rains. Some would hold that the whole point was to splash dead centre of a puddle (thereby throwing off your opponent with a wily distraction!), but personally, he preferred the challenge of accomplishing something neatly (while also avoiding the crack on the other side, in respect for his mother's back).

"It's a nice idea. It's easily twisted into something less nice. That gives you ... not exactly plausible deniability. But you get to say you didn't mean it to get out of hand, even if it does. But for now it's just nice."

"There's not a lot of room to work with, you know." Metaphorically, in the School Council, and here and now as they were almost inside. Kids lounged on the steps leading to the door.

"I just want to help my friend! He's ... disappeared."

There was a sense of sharpness from Dimitri - the tilt of his head, the way his thumbs squeezed where they rested against his belt loops. What did he have to hide? His smarts were already clear.

"No one has seen Jeff since he went to detention a little while ago..." Cody smiled wistfully towards the sky. "It's partially my fault. I could have stepped in - in one sense, I should have. But it would have taken away the chance to do so much more ... And I didn't think he would _disappear_.

"I don't think it's that bad. People have totally seen him," Dimitri said.

"You don't understand! We've looked everywhere for him!"

"Uh, like with his friends? They're right over there."

"What? Where?!"

"You know ... the Star-Chasers."

Some things you had to ignore in order to deal with them. Some things you downright had to edit out of your brain, or it would be a whole new trouble to deal with.

"That gang?" Cody breathed. "He ... he's been caught by the allure of Starchman Stars, like so many others?"

"More like he's good at fading into the background," Dimitri said, and perversely, that was when the Chasers group shifted, the knot of people loosening up, and for the first time in what felt like forever, Cody caught a glimpse of Jeff. Someone was ruffling his hair, and it didn't feel at all like a disguised threat. Though Jeff ducked out from under it, when he looked up ... his smile was real.

"All those kids are pretty used to being ignored. Maybe it's a relief to him to be ignored right alongside a whole lot of other people. It's paradoxical, for sure, but..." Dimitri rambled a moment more, and Cody did his best to give him due attention - he had been helpful, after all - but the words lost their meaning on their way to his ears.

"Dude, uh ... You okay?"

"More than okay!" Cody said, and Dimitri actually leaned back a little bit.

"That's good...?" he said, as if guessing.

"Be my rival!"

"Indeterminate," he decided.

"I think it would work really well! And I definitely think we shouldn't give up on our side of The Buddy System! You're smart, and a force for good!"

"I'm on the school paper!" Dimitri protested, flustered.

"That's hardly the worst thing you could be," Cody said. "Come on. Walk this path of shadows with me."

He scuffed the floor. 

"Oh! And if that sounds kind of like me asking you on a date, that works too!"

"Jeez. Aren't you ... super chill."

"And maybe a little devious, but you're not entirely sure," Cody reminded him. "Is that intriguing?"

"Kinda."

"Perfect!"

*

They had another assembly shortly, where it had been decided that The Buddy System had been refined: they would be given little mysteries to solve all around the school. Oh, that _was_ an interesting tactic. He looked forward to discussing that with Dimitri! He was going to be _so_ difficult to get around. It was going to be totally awesome. Cody was totally going to spend the whole time blushing, but he had a really strong feeling it wouldn't be a big problem. That was because he was, of course, seated next to his buddy, and Dimitri kept sneaking glances at him, clearly without meaning to. He kind of had a feeling they were going to upgrade to brushing fingers against each other's, soon.

_"Of course! Surely in ages hence, together, we will all solve crime! ..."_

What an idea. Cody's smile grew sunnier. That Max. Maybe he ought to get the muttering looked at.


End file.
